Happy New Year from Huggy Bear & T-Bone

The Pontifical Lateran University, where my brother is studying.


Sayonara, suckaz.

Merry Christmas, Part 2

Nothing gets me into Christmas quite as well as sacred space. Welcome to my spiritual home.


Gonna post pics from my parents' trip to Italy, later.

Merry Christmas

Caravaggio, "Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco," 1609

Kong

...which takes me back to lovely memories of former schoolmate Eddie Hong. I miss you, King. And your enormous pythons.

Excellent flick; the only real problem is it's 3. Hours. Long. I've already sat through the dinosaurs, the bugs, Skull Island natives who look like orcs, and the near-shipwreck when I realize that crap: We haven't even made it to New York yet.

As far as I remember, this is the best combo of live-action and digital effects that I've seen. There weren't as many obviously patched scenes, and I didn't notice "green screen stare" too often. (Star Wars is an atrocity on this front). There weren't as many signature Peter Jackson annoyances, either (unnecessarily pervasive slow-mo, actors with mouths half-open staring into space, hobbits about to make out, etc.).

I liked that the last third of the movie had extremely little dialogue. Props to the Best Blond in the Business for making TLC with a giant fake gorilla believable.

snow pants on a thursday

And I could take another hit for you
And I could take away the trips from you
And I could take away the salt from your eyes
Take away skin and salt in you
And I could give you my apologies
By handing over my neologies
And I could take away your shaky knees
And I could give you all the olive trees
And look at the trees and look at my face and look at a place far away from here

-- Wolf Parade, "I'll Believe in Anything"


Looky what Max got arrested at. Good for him. It's good to strike back at the darkness, let 'em know you're still there.

my name is Javy, and I have a problem

Hello Javier. Welcome to the White Sox. We've acquired you and some cash for a playoff hero, a bloated sack of potatoes, and a shiny new metallic object that will bring hours of enjoyment for its new owners. Mind AJ's wrestling gear as you step in. You might want to avoid the lanky, acne-riddled righthander over in that corner because I think you just took his starting job. No worries, though, he should have his job back once we get rid of some excess baggage we picked up on Arbitration Highway via the path to Eternal Playoff Glory. Sorry about the dust, we're still under construction after last October.

Now Javy, we do have a few concerns. For example, the last time you were in the American League (2004 with the Yankees), you had the worst year of your career. The last time we checked, we still don't have the pitchers batting here, so that hasn't changed. Thought we should let you know. Another thing is that you, considerate advocate of the common fan that you are, have become a veritable horn o' plenty when it comes to bleacher souvenirs, giving up 33 and 35 in the past two seasons. You may be happy to know that the cozy confines of the Cell will enable you to continue your charitable efforts with little interruption.

Not all of the news is good, however. Your current contract runs through 2007, paying you 11.5 and 12.5 mill/per, after which you'll be up for arbitration. It seems the White Sox will really want to keep you, however, since the $5 mill + El Duque ($4.25 mill) + Vizcaino ($2 mill) pays for you this year, and the money that they don't spend on Garland now can go to you, and for less total years and salary, since Garland is looking for AJ Burnett money. Also, since you're only turning 30 this coming season, you'll most likely still be productive through 2007 while the Sox still maintain a 5 deep rotation. Being productive means more of that robust 7.8 K/9, 1.27 WHIP, and 200+ IP (basically, being Freddy Garcia). So get comfortable, because you may not be leaving Chicago anytime soon. Sure is a shorter flight from here to Puerto Rico than from Arizona, right? Hope you like cold Aprils and beating the Twins and Indians.

Love, Kenny Williams.

caravaggio

Beautiful paintings. Quite prolific too. I'm a tad jealous that the Ps get to hang with Ed in Rome and check out beautiful stuff like this.

Caravaggio, "The Taking of Christ" 1598.

Schools are putting out their openings for next fall. Happy thoughts?!

"It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason itself is a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all."
-- GK Chesterton, from Orthodoxy

recuperating

...after a long weekend in Seattle (Mercer Island, specifically. Beautiful place), either from short sleep, giving a presentation to the parish youth group out there, or indulging in the legal drug of choice, Starbucks. There were 4 coffee places within a half mile of one another, and all doing booming business. These people are serious about their coffee. Roy drank hot chocolate the whole time.

I like making lists, to the point that making lists of something, anything, calms me down sufficiently when I get panicky. Anyway, I think there are a bunch of lists that people carry around with them, including:

-possible purchases you're mulling: books to read, music to hear, movies to watch, gifts, clothes, etc.
-people you can date
-people you *want* to date
-people you can *take* on a date: can differ from the above, depending on the situation. For instance, the person you'd take to a wedding could be different than the one you'd take out to dinner.
-people you'd like to harm or see harmed in some way

same great taste, much more filling (baseball post)

White Sox re-sign Konerko for 5 years, $60 million. I think most of us are aware that we don't live in a perfect world, so Konerko getting about $12 mill/per is about right, although the chances are good that he's not worth that in the last two years of the contract. The brighter side of it is that Thome and Konerko will hopefully spend their remaining productive years together. One note, however; I'm getting irritated at media (local and national) sticking Thome in the 5th spot behind Konerko. Nuh uh. I want the on-base machine as high up in the order as possible. I think it'll look more like this:

1. Podsednik (L)
2. Iguchi (R)
3. Thome (L)
4. Konerko (R)
5. Dye (R)
6. Pierzynski (L)
7. Crede (R)
8. Anderson (R)
9. Uribe (R)

Other baseball-related rumination:

- For once and flipping all, I don't want Frenchy on the South side. I do want another bullpen arm and some bench depth, considering the championship run didn't heal Crede's two herniated discs, and last year's roster didn't particularly weather Podsednik's absence very well. (Bringing back Tony Graffanino or Kenny Lofton would be delicious irony).

-I'm sad that Brian Giles re-signed with Saaan Dieaaaaahgo. In the cavern the Padres play in, Giles will have no shot at all at making the Hall of Fame.

-The new hotness, other than Frenchy, is batting Brian Anderson or Uribe second to drop Iguchi down in the order. Let me wipe the blood from my eyes first. Batting hacktastic maniacs second ahead of the big bats will pretty much negate whatever Thome adds to the mix offensively. I don't think anyone wants to revert to the Cubs' "solo shot by DLee" approach to scoring.

-The best rumor so far of the offseason is that Manny Ramirez might not go to the Angels (which is scary enough), nor the Mets (the most money) but actually to the Phillies (for Lord knows what). I'm sad at the thought of Big Papi breaking Bonds' walk record when Manny leaves.

according to jim

All I want for Thanksgiving is... Jim Thome?

I haven't decided whether I like this acquistion or not, because the Konerko situation has yet to be consummated, so who knows. A highly unscientific straw poll of my Sox friends has resulted in two definite "no's" (from Jill and LeiGh, who have a strong affection for Aaron Rowand), one yes, and a maybe.

5 Good Things about this trade

1. We don't have to watch Jurassic Carl waste four at bats a game, especially when he hit a brutal .206 in September. Thome immediately upgrades the worst #3 production in the majors with his solid OBP (career .408) and his lefthanded bat balances out a mostly righthanded lineup. Granted, Thome will swing and miss a lot, but the dude can also hit 35-40 bombs in the Cell.
2. Konerko - Most people seem to think that acquiring Thome means Konerko is gone. I happen to think otherwise; Thome is not going to take away any of Konerko's playing time, since Ozzie wouldn't put a brutal fielder like Thome out into the field. If I'm Paul Konerko, I'm going to have a lot more runners to drive in, and more protection behind me since Dye and/or Iguchi will drop down in the order. Heck, even if Konerko doesn't sign, the Sox have made progress toward replacing his production. Tasty.
3. Organizational depth is strongest in the outfield, namely flowing blond rookie Brian Anderson (who has a strong defensive reputation) and AA hotshot Chris Young (both listed as top 10 prospects here). It is also possible to move Podsednik to center, where he played for two years with the Brewers. Selling Rowand high, knowing that adequate contingencies that match his strengths were in place, is a good fricking idea. This also eliminates the possibility of insanity like "Jermaine Dye playing first base" from happening.
4. Philadelphia will pay $22mill of the $46 mill Thome is owed over the remaining 3 years. Also, Thome has a "solid citizen" reputation, so he won't disturb the highly prized Clubhouse Chemistry (TM). No one can tell me he's more of clubhouse risk than when AJ signed last year. He's returning to his hometown, he's got doubters after his surgery, he's coming off a crappy year, he doesn't have a ring, and he doesn't have to be the Messiah because he's on a championship level team. He's not going to get any more motivated but still relaxed than he is in this situation.
5. Daniel Haigwood and (reportedly) Gio Gonzalez are excellent prospects, but Haigwood was in AA last year, Gonzalez in high A. Excellent lefty prospects, but not close to being guaranteed, can't miss, ironclad locks. The path to the White Sox rotation is decorated with the remains of Corwin Malone, Lorenzo Barcelo, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Scott Ruffcorn. The path out isn't much prettier (Mike Sirotka, Jim Parque, James Baldwin). I'm saying, it's really hit or miss with pitching prospects; this isn't nearly as awful as missing on signing Clemens in '97 or even trading Kip Wells (ugh... I just had a Todd Ritchie relapse).

5 Bad Things about this trade

1. I think LeiGh put it best: "Don't we already have an injured guy that can hit home runs?" Thomas has been more brittle, and chronic foot injuries to a 280 lb guy isn't good news, but Thome has had a history of back issues, and was out last year with right elbow surgery. He's also 35, and I imagine the track record for 35 yr olds coming off surgery to have excellent years isn't stellar. A check swing on a cold April day and he might be back on the DL.
2. Everyone knew that Philadelphia was looking to get rid of Thome since rookie Ryan Howard showed he can handle first base. In a buyer's market, giving up Rowand, Haigwood, and Gonzalez is a lot of swag, especially so early in the buying season. Maybe if this is the end of spring training, but not when December hadn't even rolled around.
3. Rowand played wall-defying, pain-ignoring defense, and if Anderson/Podsednik fall short of it, there is going to be a very noticeable upwards tick in the staff ERA. I think Pods would wear down faster playing in center, and Anderson is an unknown quantity at the big league level. The acquisition of Thome notwithstanding, the Sox won because of run prevention, and even a small dropoff in the overall defense could tip the balance on the razor-thin margins the Sox skated by (35-19 in one run games).
4. Less risky propositions, like the equally old but healthy Carlos Delgado, and the younger, cheaper Lyle Overbay were still on the market when this deal was being talked about. Big spending teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox were also looking for good defensive centerfielders and had pretty shiny pieces for trade (I'm looking at you, Manny Ramirez).
5. Konerko, after the free agent golden treatment, may decide over the creme brulee that the Sox are trying to send him a message, and sign with the Angels/Red Sox/Dodgers. Konerko not re-signing, the perceived void in center, and World Series hubris may also lead KW to something truly horrific, like trading for Juan Pierre.

I'm personally having a great time dreaming of Thome crushing 38 home runs and the Great American Hero in center doing the memory of Rowand proud. I don't think the Sox will win 99 games again, but that has more to do with not being as lucky (the 35-19 in one run game stat evening out, and avoiding the injury bug) more than anything else. The roster still has all of the ingredients necessary for a long postseason run. The Sox had only one clear upgrade, in the DH slot. It could be a lot worse; we could be paying $23 million for middle relievers.

the city of champions

as a classmate called her hometown, Pittsburgh, in a poem she shared. Speaking of poems, I wrote one to express the depth of my emotion during one of my sessions at the English teacher convention:

Eyes too wide, smiles too set
Speech a little too slow and careful,
Your effervescence is too resilient to be believed.
Snap off your hope in the concrete of reality
Before I walk out.

But really, it was the only bad part of the weekend. I learned a heck of a lot, got a bunch of books for cheap, was reassured of my calling as a teacher, drank in a microbrew in an old church, kicked myself for not writing more, almost got shot near a bar but didn't even know it, earned a permanent red handprint on my forehead from slapping it so often at stuff that made so much sense (my favorite was "the telling board"), coolly eyed the booth babes on the exhibition floor, almost puked on the plane ride home. Happy Thanksgiving!

click click

Was flipping through a magazine recently, and my latent desire to take up photography was piqued by an article about print collecting. Here are a few of the more interesting pieces:

"Sunday afternoon on the banks of the Marne," 1938, by Henri Cartier-Besson.

"Mirror view of Yosemite Falls," 1600 feet, 1871, Carleton E. Watkins.

"Mario," 1978, Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

And my personal favorite:

"Two buffoons," 2005, Jill Meier.

peeling away

it's a little strange to think that you could live or be around someone for an extremely long period (decades even) and you still find out things about them that you'd never even suspected. Which is what happened when I took my dad out for dinner on Sunday. He was telling me about his business trips that he took all over the place before I was born, meeting the Shah of Iran and his wife in the 70s, touring Paris, visiting the Philippines. I didn't know he had this adventurous spirit within him to go out and see the world; his current configuration is that of a quiet, reserved, and hardworking father of two. He talked about growing up raised by my great-grandfather who wanted to make him into an educator, but my dad wanting to see the world and also improve the lot of his family. Korea in the 50s wasn't very luxurious. It made me wish very much that I talked to him more frequently, but at the same time, feeling really close to him in that moment.

This sort of tangentially relates to something I caught on the radio about a young woman who was retracing the past of her mother, who had escaped from Nazi Germany with the help of a Polish woman who'd carried her out. As she untangles the string of oral history to track down the family of the Polish who rescued her mother, and in essence rescued the entire family, she finds that there are deeper connections of guilt and shame and remorse than she'd anticipated from the glowing, heroic account she'd been given. I think what got me the most was the years the narrator spent trying to disentangle the conflicting stories she got about what happened, and how strong our own drive is to find out where/who/what we came from. Judging from how frequently my conversation with my dad rings in my ears, it's still something I want to know more about, especially that I now know that there is much more there than I'd assumed.

backing away from the ledge

Took my camera on my trip at the end of week to Michigan, but then I realized a funeral may not be the best place to have a camera.

At the funeral, I was trying to read expressions of the children who were present. Honestly, I think they handled things a lot better than the adults, and not because they were too young to understand what happened to Grandma. Their attitude was more, well, should we stop playing? Should we stop doing the things that we normally do? And they didn't, which was great. They drew pictures with love notes to Grandma, and prayed by the casket, and it was fine. I wouldn't want my kids to be afraid of death, either.

I was reminded, though, that there are so many ways to deal with it. There was a possibility that the wake could have been done in typical Irish fashion, with lots of wailing, beer, and the casket right next to the table where everyone is sitting and eating. Heck it's weird to me, but that's how the Irish do it. They want it all out in the open, and sort of pretending that the person is still alive.

I'm more afraid of not dying "well." The romance of a heroic death is appealing, but that could potentially involve a lot of pain, and who knows how one would deal with that, right in the moment?

It was weird to hear that some of my friends' parents have shared with their children on funeral arrangement. It's jarring to think that's more of a possibility. Yet another sign that I'm getting old.

Off to Madison on Saturday.

keeping it real

I was talking to Jill, and we both agree that it's weird not to have baseball to watch. But I guess I'll take that as long as we won the World Series. That's not going to get old anytime soon. By the way, totally fell asleep Monday night analyzing the Sox roster, which means none of you are as big of a nerd as I am.

Saw one hellacious set by Broken Social Scene on Friday. Crazy loud (who plays trumpets into microphones?). I tend to think of their songs as turning into chaotic sonic goo the further they go, but Durty thinks it goes the other way, from organic soup into a cohesive bang. You're deaf either way, but it's still great to listen to. I always think of BSS as perfect driving music for a sunny autumn afternoon. It has that dreamy, hammocky feel to it.

Ditched my civic duties of candy-distribution to minors by holing up in a bookstore and reading through Gabriel Garcia Marquez's latest, Memories of My Melancholy Whores. And the first line is:

"The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin."

Priceless. Fortunately, he doesn't do, and finds himself re-living, and re-loving life, at the age of 90. It's good stuff, and got me to check out Of Love and Other Demons from the library.

Coda

What do we root for? Why do we feel good when the team we love wins? It's not that the players are from Chicago. I don't personally know the players or the front office guys. I don't do anything that directly influences the team, although I guess the money I pay for tickets and merchandise does something. What connection do I have?

I love baseball because my father loves baseball, taught me the game, taught me what to watch. Aside from my family, the Sox have been the one constant since I've moved here. My following of the White Sox has been longer than any friendship I've had.

The funny thing is that I could have moved away from here for college, but I chose to stay near Chicago, because I was tired of moving around so much, and wanted some continuity. As silly as it may be, rooting for my baseball team is part of that. I email and phone my brother, now in Rome, and we've talked about the Sox constantly during this playoff run. I made sure we caught games when he came back to visit. Whatever "home" might be, in all of its connotations of warmth and comfort and ease, the White Sox is part of that for me and for my brother.
Although we strive to be the best in the small ways we can, it's so very rare and difficult to ever be the best. So we share the vicarious joy of our baseball team actually proving themselves to be so, because it shows, in a small way, that it can actually happen, that not everything is destined for endless cycles of failure or ruin.


It's also vindication for not being stupid, in a way. It's the reply to every time I've heard "why are you a *White Sox* fan?" ever since I started following this team when I moved back here as a sophomore in high school. It's for all the endless "who's better: Cubs or Sox?" arguments with friends, which always consisted of more Cubs fans than Sox fans in the north suburbs. It's a little payback for the agony of watching the Twins and the Indians always be just a little bit better (sometimes a whole crapload better) than the Sox every year.


I feel so good for Frank Thomas. He's the best player in the history of a franchise that is over a hundred years old, and has done everything there is to do: MVPs, All-Star Games, been in the playoffs, been the hero, will probably go into the Hall of Fame. But he never had the ring, never could get his proper due because he'd never won a championship. People blamed him because his personal greatness never lifted his teams high enough. And he didn't even play this year, except for 105 ridiculous at-bats (he homered 12 times), couldn't get into the action. But he was here, he stayed because he wanted to win one in Chicago, although he could have opted out of his contract and played somewhere else (although I won't get into the fact that no other team would pay him as much either). And now... vindication, for a guy that never should have needed it in the first place, because he was that damn good.

When standing at the edge, you don't say anything

Like the monkey that hits random letters on the keyboard and ends up typing the Gettysburg Address, Ozzie has concocted an alchemy that has turned Houston strength into weakness, and Sox weakness into strength. To wit:

No bench pop - Ozzie double switches Blum, who hit .143 in September, for the Gooch in the 14th inning, setting off creative and unique profanity from me and fellow Blum-hater ToddH. How do you put Blum in for the steadiest player outside of Konerko? And if you're going to double-switch, why insert Blum instead of Ozuna, who's a better glove and a offensive threat with his speed? Whatever, Blum delivers a 2-0 fastball into right field and a stomach punch to the Astros fans.

The return of Everyday Damaso Marte - Ozzie had even gotten to the point where he doesn't use Marte at home because the fans boo when he starts to warm up. For the second night in a row the bullpen gave up the lead, with Ozzie burning through every arm until only Marte was left. And the undeiably worst reliever on the staff slams the door for one and two-thirds by re-finding mid-90s cheese and a humpback slider.

Clemens and Oswalt will both finish in the top 5 in Cy Young Voting, and Lidge is the best closer in the National League, but all three got knocked about by the vaunted(?) Sox offense, which displayed a patience and a knack for fouling off pitches that extended pitch counts and crumbled away at morale.

Freddy to close it out?!

the power of podsednik, los dos

No matter the outcome of this World Series, this Sox team has burned itself into the cultural memory of White Sox fans forever. In 2075, grandparents will still remember and talk about the starting rotation and the lineup for the 2005 White Sox. Fantastic sports weekend by the way, with NU pirate-raiding Michigan State, and the Bears "beating" the Ravens.

Game-Changing Break (TM) - Dye's HBP, loads the bases, Paulie's spanks one into the misty night. The new Sox drinking game is taking a swill every time an ump blows a call and the Sox cash in. The other one involves when AJ pisses someone off (like calling time and stepping out of the box when Clemens was in his windup). Double bonus if AJ's the one that drives in the run. Speaking of which, I think Clemens is done for the series. That's three series in a row that the Sox have missed the other team's top starter (altho, I'd probably put Oswalt ahead of Clemens).

Shut UP - Bubba, don't tell the world, including Jeff Bagwell and the Astros, that you were trying to throw high heat to Bagwell at the end of Game 1 because that's what the scouting report said to do at 0-2. Game 2, Bagwell faces Jenks in the 9th, singles. The man's not a Hall of Famer because he's an idiot.

Smartball (TM) - Been noticing that if Ozzie has a runner on first with Podsednik at bat with two outs, he generally sends the runner, figuring that if the runner gets thrown out, Pods still leads off the next inning; if not, a runner moves into scoring position. Thus Uribe stealing in the 2nd inning against Pettitte, the best pickoff pitcher in the game. Smartball (TM) is also calculated risk-taking like that, and also like Podsednik, a slap hitter all year, looking to pull the fastball from Lidge when he got the count to 2-1.

The menta' game - Pujols beats Lidge on a bad slider, Pods beats him on a fastball. I didn't think he'd be fazed, but maybe he's still shaken up?

Crede - Local media were making a big deal of Joe's defense, comparing him to immortals like Brooks Robinson or Graig Nettles. He reminds me more of Scott Brosius from the championship Yankees of recent vintage, right down to the quiet demeanor, steady glove, and late-inning/bottom-of-the-lineup thunder.

Oswalt - is going to be flat-out untouchable. He's going to give up 1 run, if any. I like Garland's sinkerball stuff to keep the Astros out of the Crawford Boxes, but I don't see him shutting them out, not with how Berkman is swinging the bat.

solving the Astro puzzle

Complete game mania - I'll leave it to the media idiots to talk about whether the Sox are some sort of pioneers for throwing complete games. They're pretty unlikely to throw any complete games in this series, due to Houston's homer-friendly ballpark and the Astros' more patient approach at the plate.

Starting Pitching - The starters are pretty evenly matched. Durty thinks the Houston 3 are better than the Sox 4, which may be true, but it's not like Houston is going to be awarded 1.5 wins if Clemens or Oswalt dominate their starts. It's still one win. They also have to probably pitch Backe against Garcia or Garland, which favors the Sox. Clemens looks the most road weary and vulnerable out of the big three, and he hasn't been his normal bulletproof self in the playoffs or in his starts in September. Freddy Garcia, who tends to run up high pitch counts and gives up flyball outs, will be the most vulnerable Sox starter at Minute Maid.

Bullpen - I would expect that Ozzie would be a little more conservative and go to the 'pen at the first sign of trouble in the late innings, cuz it's the fricking WORLD SERIES. Houston's pen has been excellent, with the exception of Lidge's spectacular flat slider that Pujols deposited into the Plexiglas. Lidge is still the best reliever on either roster. The Sox counter with depth, but there's no way to tell how the long layoff will affect them. Neither lineup poses an obvious late inning pitching matchup; altho Ozzie may bring in Cotts to turn Berkman around to hit from the right, maybe Politte to face Ensberg. What can Bubba Jenks do against the Stros?

Hitting/Bench - Ozzie hasn't had to make any lineup moves, mostly because the Sox starting lineup is their best offensively AND defensively. Phil Garner has substituted defense for offense in the late innings, taking Mike Lamb out, putting Berkman on 1b, switching Chris Burke to LF and inserting Willy Taveras in CF. He's basically exchanging speed and defense (Taveras) for some more pop (Lamb), which he will probably stick with, although I think Taveras has a greater chance than Lamb of making something happen against a stingy Sox staff.

I'm guessing Garner goes with Orlando Palmeiro as DH, saving Jeff Bagwell for late inning pinch hitting. I think the Sox suffer less than most AL teams when they lose the DH, cuz Carl Everett doesn't really strike fear into anybody. In fact, taking Everett out makes the lineup better suited for Smallball (TM). Houston will definitely pitch around Konerko, which the Angels inexplicably failed to do, so it's up to Crede or Dye or Rowand or Pierzynski to pick up the slack. Houston's 1-5 is better, especially with Berkman and Ensberg, but the Sox are a little more dangerous throughout.

Luck of the Polish - What's it going to be? What kind of voodoo will AJ cook up this time? Notify the ump that Craig Biggio has too much pine tar on his helmet? Accuse Roger Clemens of using sandpaper? Cut down the pole in Tal's Hill?

I'm scared because the Sox have caught every break in crucial moments to swing the momentum back around their way. The umpiring crew from the ALCS looked especially snakebitten, missing three calls in Game 5. How good are the Sox, really, without the breaks going their way? The Astros look bulletproof to bad breaks, dealing with the Pujols drama in workmanlike fashion by calmly closing out Game 6.

I think homefield advantage will be pretty big. Cold weather up in Chi-town favors the pitchers, while the crazy dimensions in Houston favors the Astros. I think games in Chicago will be low-scoring, while games in Houston could get a little crazy. Houston is definitely the best team they've faced so far, with far less flaws than either the Red Sox or the Angels. Six or seven games sounds likely.

And now, a word from the rest of my life...

Breaking up the string of Sox posts. Hopefully, the Sox win streak will not be similarly broken. Anyway. Onward.

Took in Serenity and and A History of Violence in the past few weeks. Serenity was an engaging space adventure movie, and I particularly liked the dialogue, although some of it seemed to be mumbled over the by the actors, as if their tongues were in the way of the words. But it was entertaining without megabudget effects or name actors.

A History of Violence was a little weirder. I missed the punchline. It was too straightforward, and there were parts that confused me, not because the plot was too complicated, but because I didn't understand why the event happened. What's your reaction if a purple duck walked through your living room? Yah. Pretty much the same thing.

Checked out the New Pornographers at Metro. Extremely entertaining and a full order buffet for the ears, with 8 members and 7 instruments. I don't know any of the words but I find myself singing along anyway. Neko Case can belt it out, too.

However, the find of the night was Newest Pornographer and Immaculate Machine keyboardist Kathryn Calder, who plays keyboard and shakes a tambourine with a fetching, freespirited aplomb that had Max and I dreaming of stiffer backbones and slimmer paunches.

I can finally put my socks on in a normal amount of time. It's still no fun to have somebody tell you that you can't play sports anymore, though. There's always darts and bingo, I guess.

Bring on Houston.

This one's for Shoeless

The damage: Sox pitching staff in the ALCS?

Angels' hitting line: .175 avg, .196 OBA, .266 SLG

So much White Sox love on ESPN, Fox, and the newspapers. The best part about this is: now *everybody* knows what I know, like they're in on the secret joy of how solid this team is. Not just the ace-heavy pitching staff, or how clutch Konerko is, or how crazy Ozzie is, but...

• What a cold-blooded assassin Joe Crede is.
• How amazing Contreras's turnaround is.
• How steady the Gooch is.
• What a pain in the ass A.J. is.
• How huge Juan's swing is.
• That CarlEverett doesn't believe in dinosaurs.
• How good Garland CAN be.
• How airtight the D is.

Now that everyone knows, everyone can join in the party and share the joy. Not that there's no fear. I'm scared and all-too-aware that it can all end as quick as you can say Oswalt, Clemens, Pujols, Carpenter, Killer Bees. But now is for taking a breath, the satisfying pat on the back for a job accomplished, with the knowledge that another one awaits.

Who's not ready? Let's go get the next one.

Call 911

... cuz A.J. Pierzynski just carjacked the Angels.

• This postseason has already birthed the Chris Burke game, the Bill Buckner Part Dos, and now the Phantom Dropped Strike. The most ridiculous part of this is that umpire supervisor Rich Reiker claimed they that through some "technology" in a "truck," they came to the conclusion that the ball might still have been moving or trapped. Every replay I saw showed pretty conclusively that Paul caught it, whatever mysterious alien technology the umpires' truck might have. The only hesitation was on umpire Doug Eddings' part. And the worst part for the Angels is that this type of break can turn the momentum around in a playoff series.
• Despite the histrionics, the Angels bullpen is bulletproof. Any runs the Sox get will have to be off of the Angels's weakened starting rotation. Speaking of runs, my buddy ToddH summed up the Sox offense best: "What are those wooden sticks for? Geez." Any runs that the Sox get will be via the home run; they can't string hits together to save Christmas.
• For those of you keeping score at home, A.J. is now even-steven for botching a hit-and-run and a pitchout to salt away Game 1. Which Chris Myers mentioned on the postgame interview with AJ, leading to the best face on live TV since Mike Meyers was on with Kanye.
• Hey Joey Cora, thanks for sending Aaron Rowand home after he'd run around all of the bases and got tagged out. I get the sinking feeling that Ozzie is in a pissing match with Mike Scioscia to see who can smallball better, leading him to try and take bases that aren't there. Hopefully the fluky win snaps him out of it. And why is the Sox version of smallball bunts, and the Angels version is hit-and-runs? Like in the first inning, when Podsednik reached on the error and Iguchi was up. We're giving away outs because Ozzie thinks he's only going to score 1 or 2 runs? The way the Angels bullpen is going, the Sox need to score as many as they can early, and Byrd and Washburn were ripe for the picking in the first two games, except Sox hitters hacked at too many first pitches and refused to work counts and let the fatigue set in. Instead, that opportunity is gone and the Sox face their best starter (Lackey) at their stadium.
• Contreras and Buehrle were lights-out. Too bad the Sox offense made Paul Byrd and Jarrod Washburn look just as good.

ALCS

7 Things about Angels vs. White Sox

1. Lots of pressure on the White Sox for Game 1: Angels are coming off the late night flight, a draining five game series, and the starters battered (Colon is out, Washburn back in for Game 2). White Sox are rested, have their hottest pitcher going, and playing at home. They MUST take Game 1, because they're not going to have this big of an advantage again. Paul Byrd has been hittable all year, altho very effective against righties, and the Sox should jump on him early before the Angels wake up from the champagne.
2. Marte vs. McCarthy: Marte stinks. Truth. However, he's another lefty reliever who can get ready and quickly, whereas McCarthy is a starter who is unused to getting ready quickly. Add to it that he's a 22 yr old rookie who might have to come in the middle of a jam, and that might not be fair to McCarthy. The saving grace for Marte is that Al Leiter proved that a crappy lefty can still get Darin Erstad (.232, .614 OPS vs. lefties) and Steve Finley out. Strangely enough, Finley has better splits against LH pitchers than he does righties.
3. Small balls and Big balls: People like to talk about Ozzie's smallball tendencies, but the White Sox still hit 200 HRs this year. The only guys who actually run and take an extra base on this team are Podsednik, Iguchi and Rowand. Aside from that, they can only bunt to move baserunners. The Angels play a truer version of small, with usually 7 of the 9 hitters being able to run and take extra bases on aggressive hit-and-run counts.
4. Lineup roulette: The Angels have a much more hacktastic lineup, with Chone Figgins leading the team with 64 walks. Knowing their lack of on-base prowess, they early in counts to get the runners moving to take advantage of their team speed (6 guys with 10+ steals) and minimize the lineup sinkholes like Erstad and Finley create. A White Sox pitching staff that is around the plate often and tries to get ahead with first pitch strikes might be playing right into the Angels' hitting approach. The focus should be on Figgins and Anderson, since I don't think anybody can really stop Vlad the Impaler.
5. Garland: Ozzie has him starting Game 3 in Anaheim. I'd rather see him pitch Game 2 at home, then have Buehrle and Garcia on the road (both of them have better road records). Having Garland pitching in his SoCal stomping grounds might put additional pressure in a crucial swing game like Game 3, Thunderstix and all.
6. Same old, same old: Get ahead early, because the Angels bullpen buzzsaw of Shields, Escobar and K-Rod has been untouchable. Unlike the Sox, the Angels have Disney comeback pixie dust. Also, I am unsure whether the Sufjan tshirt magic works if I'm watching the game at my house. Hmmm. Jill says keep it close just in case.
7. Media hex: ESPN has gotten on board the Sox bandwagon, which makes me nervous. I think the series goes 6 or 7.

ALDS

"Winning makes the beer taste better." -- Ozzie Guillen

All i want is a free ride

Last weekend, went to go hear Christopher West (who sorta looks like Dan Patrick) speak on the Theology of the Body, developed by the late Pope John Paul II. Among other things, the "culture of life" that he spoke of so often was introduced in this set of writings, taken from a series of 129 talks he gave at the beginning of his pontificate. Very interesting stuff, covering human sexuality, gender, and marriage. I'm still digesting all of it, so if you run into me in the next few months I'll be a little more spacy-eyed than usual. One of the things that I like the very most about it is that it's written with the potential of redeemed humanity in mind.

"What are the 'concrete possibilities of man?' And of which man are we speaking? Of man dominated by lust or of man redeemed by Christ? This is what is at stake: the reality of Christ's redemption. Christ has redeemed us! This means he has given us the possibility of realizing the entire truth of our being; he has set our freedom free from the domination of sin. And if redeemed man still sins, this is not due to an imperfection of Christ's redemptive act, but to man's will not to avail himself of the grace which flows from that act. God's command is of course proportioned to man's capabilities; but to the capabilities of the man to whom the Holy Spirit has been given."
--John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor

Bought the newest from Wolf Parade, which should keep me busy. The easiest comparison to make of Wolf Parade would be the Arcade Fire or even Modest Mouse. It's eerie, ghostly music, but the eeriness doesn't make the music feel cold or far away; it feels incredibly close, actually, despite all the weird synthesized noises. Check them out here.

Picked up tickets for Broken Social Scene at Metro and walked to the el to head down to Game 2. My route took me right past Wrigley. They were doing some work on the pavement on Waveland and on Sheffield, the sidewalks closed on both streets. I thought, hmm, so quiet in this neighborhood.

the gooch

7 things about the first two games:

1. 1. Jenks is a man-mountain. Give the big kid a cookie and roll him out. He became more effective in his two innings in Game 2 once he decided to go with the 98 MPH heat, crucial when Graffanino reached scoring position down one in the 9th. Cotts and Hermanson were loose in case of any problems. Ozzie does not use Jenks as a platoon specialist, AKA a righty to face righties only. I was just hoping, please, please let's finish this thing before Ortiz comes up.
2. I mean, I couldn't have been the only person thinking about Bill Buckner right when the ball slipped past Tony Graffanino, right? And then A-Rod makes a costly error in the NYY/LAA nightcap, leading to the Angels' big inning. Lucky is always better than good. Thank goodness, too, because I think the Red Sox fans were really getting worried because they had so little to complain about.
3. Playoff baseball means all of your baseball friends texting you every other inning asking for the score. It also means that as you leave after a win, everyone spontaneously cheers, and everyone understands, and perfect strangers high-five, and it feels like 40,000 people just had a birthday.
4. On the pitch before the go-ahead 3-day parkhopper, Iguchi took a questionable breaking ball that looked low and inside. Wells tried to double him up with another curve, except this one hung over the zone, and the Gooch golfed it into left, with the most intense look I've seen on him all year. He was pissed about that strike call.
5. Game 1: homer hanky type towels (a la the '91 Twins). Game 2: Thunder stix (via the '02 Angels). Can we not come up with our own thing? We've only had 6 years since our last playoff appearance to think about this. I thought it'd be cool if they actually gave one knee length sock instead of a towel. Some sort of plastic noisemaking toy (kinda like a whistle, but not as high pitched) would be great.
6. Buehrle pitched like the .500 guy he's been since the All-Star break in the first couple of innings, but bore down after the 3rd, giving up only 2 baserunners from innings 4-7. He had early command problems; his strikes were getting too much of the plate and Boston hitters were smoking line drives everywhere. He seemed to focus as the game wore on and got them to roll over changeups for easy groundballs. Speaking of which, the Sox defense has been airtight. Good defense is not making highlight reel plays but making all the ones you're supposed to, not giving away outs, and killing the momentum. Jose Valentin, we never knew ya.
7. Game 3: Freddy vs. Wakefield in a day game at Fenway. Garcia's pattern has been to pitch better on the road and in day games, and both of those things are in place. He did not pitch against Boston this year. I'm hearing nonsense about Boston fans wanting the Bloody Sock of Turin to pitch Game 3 instead of Wakefield. That's idiocy; Wakefield's been Boston's best pitcher. I think Podsednik has a great chance to let slip the dogs of war on Wakefield's 62 MPH knuckler.

ALCS tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon! I'm gonna try and get two for at least game 1 and game 6/7.

ten pounds of crap for a five pound bag

10 things going into Game 2:

1. After putting up two touchdowns on the board, the Sox might be prime for a letdown and be content with a split, and a split could lead to Boston closing the series out at Fenway, where they play lights out.
2. Just in case anybody forgot, Boston was down 3-0 to the Yankees in last year's ALCS. You know the rest. I don't think being down 1-0 is going to faze them.
3. Joe Crede might only hit two-fitty, but the heads up play to tag out Millar at third on a bad throw from Iguchi sucked the momentum away from Boston in the only inning they scratched up runs against Contreras' A-game. Run prevention is just as clutch as run production.
4. SCOTT-EE, SCOTT-EE, SCOTT-EE - the reception in the left field bleachers after Podsednik trotted out to his position after cranking his first homer of the season, with accompanying kowtowing. Awesome stuff.
5. I hope Ozzie keeping El Duque on the roster for this round, basically to caddy for Jose Contreras, won't bite us in the butt, since El Duque is not going to pitch any meaningful innings. But the caddying, along with the early lead, apparently worked.
6. I like that we made Boston use 3 relievers.
7. I don't think we'll be as successful against Wells tomorrow in the running game, since lefties tend to shut down steals. But he is hittable. Having an early lead made all the difference, and chances are good for doing it again. Wells doesn't walk anybody and is always around the plate, which would seem to matchup well with the Sox's aggressive hitting tendencies. Unfortunately, Buehrle's been the same way to Boston.
8. I LOVE that Ozzie batted Dye third in front of Konerko. He must be reading this blog. Cuz why wouldn't you.
9. Good to see Cotts get the call to face only Nixon in the 8th. He'll still be available tomorrow to face Ortiz, Damon or Nixon, if needed.
10. Contreras looked completely in control, baffling lefties with the splitter (or what looked like the splitter, judging from the radar gun) and righties with a flatter, more sidearm delivery.

In other playoff news, San Diego is now toast, since Peavy is gone. Also, watching Garret Anderson do his best impression of Bernie Williams in the outfield is going to hurt them. The Angels are a pitching and defense team, and I'm surprised they would allow such a hobbled defender out in the field instead of DHing him.

I'm exhausted from watching the best game my team has every played. I can't wait to get my now-slightly-rank Sufjan shirt back on and watch it all over again. I mean, how much grilled food does it take to kill you?

welcome to october

... and it's welcome kinsman, playoff baseball.

How the White Sox can beat Boston:

• Score first - the Sox played their best ball when Podsednik's speed led to early runs, forcing the opposition to press against excellent pitching and usually airtight defense. Early leads also mean not having to come back, which the Sox have no great ability to do. I mean, Carl Everett's swing can't get any bigger, can it?
• Late inning bullpen matchups - particularly Cotts and Marte against David Ortiz, AKA the most dangerous hitter alive. I'm getting ulcers thinking about the shaky Marte against baseball's current version of Michael Jordan.
• Carl Everett - I hate to say this, but the Sox are going to need another bat to come alive, and it might have to be Everett, since Boston will most likely pitch around Konerko. This is assuming that Ozzie doesn't do something stupid like putting Aaron Rowand or Everett in the 3 hole, in which case Boston won't pitch around Konerko cuz he'll be batting with 2 outs and no one on base since Rowand/Everett will have grounded into a double play. No, I'm not bitter at all.
• Pitching and defense - you know. Those things you've been doing all year. No need to stop now

I'm too stupid to pick a winner, but I think the series goes all five games. I can't believe that missing their closer (Foulke) and having Schilling at less than 100% won't hurt them, but Ortiz and Ramirez scare me. Also, it doesn't take a lot of pitching to shut down the Sox offense. 0-0, 1-0, 2-1 scores in the bottom of the 7th might be a frequent occurrence.

Also, slightly annoyed by all the Yankees/Red Sox love. I feel like all the media outlets are talking about how classic another NYY/Bos ALCS would be. Screw you guys.

No matter what happens, I'm going to enjoy being there to sit and take in playoff baseball, with my hometown team actually participating. I'll be there with my lucky Sufjan shirt.

mmmrrrrrraAAAAAHHHRRR

Mark Buehrle has really let himself go.

Sox clinch! Bring on the Angels.

the power of podsednik

White Sox record, through September 28th

when Scott Podsednik attempts a stolen base: 38-17 (.691)
when he successfully steals a base: 27-11 (.710)

Also, Frank Thomas in this lineup would make me feel a lot better.

early morning headrattling

Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now
It's over

--mike skinner

happy birthday, baldie

AKA Jordan. It was the most fun, cheapest birthday ever, consisting of minigolf and bowling. I think this articulated the lack of skill throughout the night, best:


Or it could have been:

you too?

An Irishman was telling me a story.

He said, "Did you know that the Edge came from the future? He did. He came from the future. Not just from our time, but a future from a different galaxy. He came in a spaceship. Do you hear the notes? (The Edge is playing the keyboard to "Origin of the Species") These are beautiful notes, from the future.

"He landed in the north of Dublin, and Larry, Adam and I were there to see him come out of the spaceship, from the future.

"Larry asked him, 'where are you from?'"

"He said, 'From the future.'"

"Adam asked him, 'what's it like?'"

"He said, 'Better.'"

Relief

So... as I driving down to Comiskey for yet another Sox/Indians game, I realized a few things.

• The lead was down to 2.5 games.
• We're on the verge, as ESPN keeps reminding everyone, of one of the greatest collapses in the history of the sport.
• Nobody can get Travis Hafner out.
• If my team lost with me in attendance for the second night in a row, then I can never go to a White Sox game again, because clearly I'm bad luck. Like finding out all of a sudden that you're allergic to your favorite food. Awful.
• Also, I have no appropriate Sox apparel to wear. I certainly wasn't going to wear my old school Sox logo shirt after having my team lose with it. So what do I wear? The Sufjan Stevens shirt that a friend asked me to buy for him at the show last Friday. I figure, it says Illinois(e) on it, and I've been secretly coveting it. Maybe it'll be luckier. (Hey, I was going to wash it for him before handing it over anyway.)

Fortunately, all of these concerns were wiped away as Joe Crede's walkoff shot sailed over and to the right of me in the bleachers. Except for now I have a lucky tshirt that doesn't belong to me.

I will now celebrate the occasion by attending a U2 concert tonight. Maybe the Edge can hit a walkoff shot over my head, again.

Panic

Sox lost 7-5, and the words most often applied to my favorite baseball team are "collapse," "choke," and "monumental." It's not looking great.

I was going to make a list of the top 5 physical moments of pain I've gone through, but I'm still sulky from the loss. I was thinking of going to the game again tonight, but I don't think I want to deal with two losses in a row. The Sox didn't play all that poorly, Cleveland just played better in the crucial moments.

It was still great to be in a stadium with an electric, playoff atmosphere. I haven't been at the ballpark in a meaningful game in September in forever.

Illinoisemakers

... as in, Sufjan Stevens and the ___________ . I was worried that a guy who mostly sings in resonant, dense whispers would have a hard being heard, let alone keeping my attention. There was a bit of a lull in the middle, but the choreographed cheers about Peoria and other Illinoisian parts unknown kept me going when the trumpet, trombone, piano, xylophone, and five-part vocals didn't. An extremely satisfying show. And if they were selling those "I" tshirts pictured above, they woulda sold like crack hotcakes dipped in KFC batter. Sufjan is self-effacing and stage-shy, and therefore won the crowd over. Genie, go out and buy the album.

I should have brought my camera.

Going to see the Sox take on second place Cleveland Monday night. Which brings me to the pressing White Sox Issue of the Moment:

Are the White Sox going to lose the division?
The answer is no, with reservations. It's possible, but if they simply split the six games remaining with Cleveland, then they gain no ground. Cleveland has to win at least four out of the six for any real chance. So, I think the Sox are safe. Barely. What's going against the Sox is that (I'm shaking my head in disbelief as I type this) no starter has been particularly good except for Jose Contreras and Scott Podsednik's Faustian deal for stealing bases has apparently come due.

Sufjan!

Going to check out Sufjan Stevens at Metro tonight. I think it'll be special considering the title of his latest release. Completely makes up for not going to Bloc Party on Wednesday.

So yesterday, on the day playoff tickets for the Sox went on sale, the Sox dropped the series to the Royals, cutting the lead in the division over the Indians to 4.5. The thumping sound you hear is people jumping off the bandwagon. From tall buildings. I don't really care that they can't hit; we really haven't all season (the Rowand hitting in front of Dye issue still irks me). What's more troubling is that the pitching and fielding have gone south. Conteras has been the best starter for the past month, winning 6 of his last 7 starts, and a sub 2.50 ERA since Aug 1. Buehrle 's ERA has been on the rise since late July, Garland's been .500 (9-9), although aside from a bad August, he's been ok. Garcia's been hittable the last 3 months.

It'll be fun to watch the game on Monday.

I feel a lot better, at least physically. Working out has helped a lot.

Sox vs. Angels from Sept. 11, 2005

So, LA's Chone Figgins totally owned this game. Above, he's homering to lead off the game against El Puke-ay.

If you look, you can see Figgins stealing second. Click the image for a closer look.

Anyway. The Sox got their butts handed to them by the Angels, 6-1. But it was fun hanging out with my dad, my godson and his cousin on a late summer afternoon. And then going home to nap for a couple of hours.

Went this morning to a substitute teacher training thing, mostly consisting of watching hilariously 70s videos about office safety. Haphazard observations:

• All school administrators must be cut from the same cloth. They are inevitably Caucasian, bespectacled, talk about how great the school year is, and are bookish, with short, practical haircuts and nice, but not too nice, clothes. It screams "den mother."
• Younger teaching folk distinguish themselves with more modern (not more sophisticated) clothing, which basically shows more skin. Don't worry, I was well-covered.
• I feel for the dudes fighting the baldness.
• I don't have the inclination to write fiction. I think the problem is that I construct caricatures that make sense to me in my own head, but probably aren't realistic. And I have little inclination to let them interact with each other. Wait, now it's a video on bloodborne pathogens.

I have tickets to Bloc Party to night, but I can't get rid of my extra ticket. I sort of don't want to go at all anymore, but then that'd be a total waste. Hmm.

Tennis - US Open 2004

So the "2004" in this post's title is not a typo. I was fortunate enough to take in the US Open while vacationing in New York last summer so I snapped a few photos, including this one of Armstrong Stadium, in a second round match between Sebastien Grosjean (L) and Tommy Haas (R). That's Ashe Stadium Court looming on the right. I'm no photographer, but I'm pretty happy how this looks. I was surprised at how many people were there, just for a second round match. Haas played really well and basically outgunned Grosjean. It's a pretty nice memory, walking around the grounds with Jordan and Genie, that set the tone for an enjoyable weekend with friends.